B.C. premier won’t attend NDP Convention

Canada’s two provincial NDP premiers will not attend this weekend’s federal party convention in Ottawa.

British Columbia Premier John Horgan’s office confirmed to iPolitics Tuesday that he will not be attending the three-day party gathering. His office said he decided against attending because of his government’s razor slim minority and the fact the legislature’s spring session just started.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is also skipping the NDP Convention in Ottawa, which kicks off Friday. She told reporters Wednesday that she had never intended to attend Convention given the Alberta legislature’s spring session is about to start.

The absence of the two premiers at Convention comes amidst mounting tensions between Alberta and British Columbia over the future of the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline.

Horgan announced plans for more consultations on oil spill readiness and a limit on increased diluted bitumen shipments until it’s confident in response measures. Notley has retaliated by imposing a ban on B.C. wine imports, saying Horgan’s actions are “unconstitutional.”

The Liberal government has said it will intervene in the dispute if necessary.

The Trans Mountain pipeline could be discussed at this weekend’s party gathering in Ottawa, with at least one proposed resolution on the matter.

The NDP is also expected to engage in conversation on whether to adopt the controversial Leap Manifesto, which is heavily oppose by Alberta NDP members because of its views on energy.

Notley has created a special task force Friday to advise her government on the B.C. dispute. The task force includes former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna, former Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, former Syncrude Canada President Jim Carter and legal scholar Peter Hogg.

The party’s last federal Convention was held in Edmonton in 2016 where Notley delivered a blunt keynote address that urged her fellow NDP members to start thinking “more charitably” of Albertans and recognize the province’s significant need for a pipeline to tidewater.

Notley told reporters Monday she attended the 2016 party Convention because it was being held in Edmonton.

The upcoming NDP Convention will be the party’s first since Jagmeet Singh was named party leader in 2017.

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1 comment on “B.C. premier won’t attend NDP Convention”

He’s got work to do in his own party, and actual gets things done. Not like the Liberals who half the time never were in parliament. Nutley isn’t going either so it isn’t like the hot bitumen issue would be discussed.

Section 92 (5) and (8) and 92A(1)(b) of the Constitution Act, 1867, give a province exclusive jurisdiction to manage public lands under their jurisdiction and municipal affairs, and Section 95 gives a province joint jurisdiction with the federal government over agriculture.
The B.C. government has the right and responsibility to protect the income and jobs of our commercial fishermen and those who work in the tourism, forestry and agriculture industries.
The above should be enough to challenge any efforts to “force” British Columbians to accept having dilbit threatening our province’s livelihoods, safety and environment. Everyone has the right to commerce but not at the expense of threatening the commerce, safety, environment of another province.
Additionally any/all aboriginal bands that are affected by this pipeline have the right to tell Kinder Morgan no.

Why doesn’t Premier Notley better utilize this new refinery?
It is already there – sitting in her back yard.
It costs a lot to build new refineries.
All over the world, countries with oil refineries are just expanding them instead of building from scrap due to the worldwide overproduction of gas/oil/bitumen.

It is in their backyard, utilize it to process the bitumen into products, then transporting them would not be as environmentally hazardous as shipping bitumen.
That way our economy, our jobs and our environment are not threatened and Albertans would get more jobs. (we all win).